Filner Will Keep City's Operating Officer For Now

Receive the latest politics updates in your inbox

Mayor-elect Bob Filner announced Tuesday he will be keeping the city's current Chief Operating Officer until he can find a replacement.

COO Jay Goldstone has worked with current mayor Jerry Sanders to get the city on sounder fiscal footing after decades of budget deficits and continued pension uncertainty.

The announcement comes less than two weeks before Filner takes office -- a relatively short amount of time for the Democratic Congressman to adapt to the city's needs and take the reins of a $2.75 billion budget.

"It is critically important that the daily operations of our city be guided by a seasoned public administrator with the skills and expertise of a veteran municipal manager," Filner said in a statement.

Under the Strong Mayor Form of Governance made permanent by voters, Filner will be less of a city manager and more of CEO or president. This means he will have to take on many of the city's financial obligations.

Goldstone has been COO since 2007. He oversees daily operations and implements Mayoral and Council initiatives. Before that, he was the city's first Chief Financial Officer.

Filner said in his statement that Goldstone does not want to stay COO in the long term, but will stay long enough to help Filner transition into his new role and find someone else to help him manage the city.